Thread by @mikamckinnon

You stumble through Elazığ, Turkey. Probably; you’re a bit lost because it’s an uncredited viral image transmitted with no context and near-identical framing for years.

But you think you’re in Elazığ, Turkey, pawing through waste rock at the quarry. #YouFindARock.

https://twitter.com/MC_Spacebat/status/1280950224425496587

You contemplate the pile as you search archival imagery with fading hopes of ever identifying the original photographer and context.

You pick up a rock.

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You stick out your tongue.
You lick.
Mmm, dusty. It’s otherwise completely flavourless.

You look around. You’re pretty damn sure you’re at Elazig Visne Quarry, but who really knows? If only content thieves valued credit & context over imaginary points

📷 StoneContact.com

Your irritation still simmering like a beef stew on low, you glare at the rock determined to investigate the shit out of it.

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Cackling manically, you squirt dilute hydrochloric acid on the rock.

Bubbles! So many bubbles!! You will single-handedly dissolve this block of rock into carbon dioxide gas and done calcium ions dissolved in water. Bwahahaha!!!

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You pull out a chisel and hammer, determined to transform this dusty cherry marble into a work of art.

At just Mohs hardness 3 when untreated, it’s soft enough to easily sculpt. The tiny cleavage faces of the metamorphic rock sparkle, while the translucent gives it depth.

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You search nearby until you find yourself at Kop Krom Mine.

#YouFindARock, a vein of rich magenta crystals twisting through the cracks of compact chromium ore.

📷 Pierre Rondelez

The extremely pointy crystals look lusciously juicy, yet the hydrothermal formation in a heavy metal mine screams danger.

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Resisting temptation to jam sharp candies loaded with heavy metals into your mouth, you zap the rock instead.

It fluorescence the faintest hints of orange. Your laser might be splitting? Bifringence is very poor but possible.

You wonder if your eyes are teasing you.

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You paw at the crystals, then give a scritch along the rough crystal faces. Your fingernail leaves a faint line: Mohs hardness 2-2.5

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You pop the gorgeous crystals in the oven, cranking the temperature to 350K.

“Ooooh, what’s this?” you chirp, “Photoluminesence!!” You peer through a spectrometer that splits the emission into individual wavelengths, catching strong peaks in green and yellow orange. “Lovely.”

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You carefully slice into the crystals. They resist faceting, leaving you in awe of the few gems that have made it to market.

You manage to clip a clean cross-section. White zoning highlights the triangular cross sections.

📷 Jason J. Evans

“It’s definitely Kämmererite,” you muse. “But what should I do with this chromium-bearing Clinochlore?”

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While Kämmererite looks nothing like mica, you’re curious if the similar phyllosilicate compositional blocks arranged in interlayered sheets leads to similar flexible tenacity.

To your absolute shock, gentle attempts to bend longer crystals actually works.

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“You know, your mineral family clinochlore is literally named for being green & wonky,” you tell the Kämmererite while petting it affectionately. “You’re not very green. But you’re cute.”

You settle down in the Turkish mine, close your eyes, and dream of flakey honeyed deserts.

https://twitter.com/mikamckinnon/status/1251631025819545600